The present invention relates to computer software applications, and more particularly to managing and operating data and applications at the edge of a network.
In typical cellular data networks, network providers with data processing and application servicing capabilities, enhance nodes at the edge of their networks to improve response times, decrease backhaul congestion, and enhance the overall quality of experience. The data processing capabilities may include data traffic re-routing or byte caching while servicing capabilities may include providing an entire point of presence for an application at the edge, web serving/caching, gaming, location based services and etc.
While existing solutions provide for the presence of data processing and application servicing capabilities at edge network nodes, they have typically been considered in the form of static instances for the presence of these capabilities. The stated capabilities may exist in hardware or software bundles that may need to be entirely replaced when the new capabilities become available. They may also require human intervention to install the new capability on location. The problem may be further exacerbated when the operator owns equipment from various manufacturers, each requiring their own way of implementing the capability. They also require this same process when the operational aspect of a service requires contextual input that may be different from location to location, such as a local map.